


Naked Truth

by Rroselavy



Category: Yugioh
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-06
Updated: 2010-06-06
Packaged: 2017-10-09 23:09:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/92613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rroselavy/pseuds/Rroselavy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After being left behind by the rest of his friends as they go off to college all over the world, Jounouchi Katsuya finds that forging a friendship with Kaiba Seto isn't such an impossible task. But as their friendship deepens and both teens realize an attraction for each other, will they be pulled apart by someone who wants the blond teen all for himself?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Naked Truth

Jounouchi Katsuya drummed his fingers on top of the glass display case that doubled as a counter in the Kami Game Shop. It was mid-September, and now that school was in session, the late mornings and afternoons were all but dead until classes let out for the day.

He sighed, absently paging through one of the gaming magazines that Sugoroku sold at the store, while wondering what his friends were doing at that exact moment in time. Anzu, who'd gone off to America on a dance scholarship would more than likely be asleep. Yuugi would probably be studying after a long day at a dig in the Valley of the Kings, or entertaining his Grandpa, who'd only been able to wait two weeks before visiting his young charge, and Honda was probably just returning home from a marathon pub-crawl. His parents had shipped him off to Great Britain in the hopes that, away from his friends, he'd knuckle down and study hard. Yeah, right, Jounouchi snorted. If the barrage of emails and IM conversations they'd engaged in was any indication, Honda was having the time of his life out from under his parents' collective thumb. Jounouchi was beset with a fit of envy over his best friends' good fortune-which had taken them far beyond the city limits that he was stuck in-that slowly dissipated into the diffuse sense of loneliness that had enveloped him since he'd seen Yuugi off at the airport. He knew that in the end, he only had himself to blame. He could have worked diligently to improve his grades and secure a scholarship somewhere, anywhere away from the confines of Domino and his alcohol-dependent father, but he'd squandered that opportunity in favor of dueling tournaments, hanging out with his friends, and helping Yuugi untangle the mysteries of the Millennium Puzzle. He felt a pang of remorse for being envious of his diminutive friend; his feelings of abandonment paled in comparison to Yuugi's, who'd left his other self behind when they'd returned from their adventures in Egypt.

As the late afternoon slid into early evening, Jounouchi began to straighten up the shelves and put things back in order before closing for the night. The afternoon had been incredibly slow; he'd only had three customers, and had spent most of his alone time reading some of the adult manga titles that Grandpa stocked. He knew he should relish these quiet weeks before all the new gaming titles were released; he'd seen the promotional sheets from Kaiba Corp and Industrial Illusions, and it looked like this holiday shopping season was going to be a busier time than usual at the Game Shop, he'd counted no less than five must-have titles between the two competitors. He had his back to the door and was just replacing one of the novels he'd been perusing on the high shelf behind the counter where Grandpa kept them safely out of reach, when he heard the bell tinkle on the front door to the shop. Great, he thought dejectedly, five minutes to closing and a customer shows up. He imagined it would be some parent, desperate to find a game for their kid, completely at a loss as to what its name was, or what its objective was. Not that knowing the objective would be much help as the market was flooded with titles that were knock-offs of each other. So much for an early dinner and hours of aimless channel surfing before working up the courage to pop in one of Grandpa's porn DVDs, he thought. Up to this point, he'd been convinced that Sugoroku had somehow rigged his stash, and would know that his erstwhile employee and house sitter had been snooping and had found them if they were removed from the secret hiding place.

"Jounouchi? Is that you?" He turned around and stared at the stranger who'd just walked into the store. It took him a moment to recognize Kaiba Mokuba, and he was certain his mouth gaped dumbly for a few moments before he broke into a wide grin.

"Mokuba?" He asked, astonished. The young teen who stood in front of him barely resembled the boy he'd last seen just a few months ago at Yuugi's graduation party. Mokuba must have grown nearly fifteen centimeters over the summer; he was now within a couple of centimeters of his own height. The childish roundness of his face had thinned into angular planes, and he'd become every bit as handsome as his older brother, Seto. Jounouchi remembered that he'd heard that the younger Kaiba sibling had spent the summer abroad in the US. As he stood there looking at the younger sibling, Jounouchi was reminded too that even though Kaiba Seto had remained behind in Japan to commandeer his company, the blond not seen hide nor hair of his classmate since graduation. Not that they'd had any reason to cross paths or keep in touch, he thought bleakly. "If you're looking for Yuugi, he's-"

"No," Mokuba said quickly, smiling brightly. "I was looking for you! I came here to see if Yuugi knew how to get a hold of you."

Flattered that his young friend had sought him out, Jounouchi's grin broadened into a full-fledged smile and the funk that he'd been in lifted somewhat. "Well, ya found me."

"Jounouchi, where is everyone? When I got back from vacation, this place was like a ghost town." The black-haired youth remarked, pulling up a stool opposite the counter from Jounouchi.

"Hold on a minute, let me put the closed sign up. Can you stay for a while?" Jounouchi called over his shoulder.

"Yeah," Mokuba replied, then added wistfully, "I've got no place to be."

"Your brother's just as busy as he always was?" Jounouchi nodded sympathetically.

"Yeah, I thought now that he was done with school ... things would be different, y'know?"

Jounouchi came around the counter and sat back down. "Yeah," he shrugged, "But didja really expect them to be? Half the time he was supposed ta be at school he was at the office, an' you've seen the release schedule?"

Mokuba nodded. "Yeah, I guess though when the gang was here, it wasn't so ..."

"Lonely?"

"You mean you're lonely too?"

Jounouchi shrugged. "Who wouldn't be? I spent every day of the last four years hanging with those guys. Hey, I've got an idea, how 'bout I make you something ta eat, we can catch up, and then we can play some games after. I'm staying here until Grandpa gets back from Egypt."

While he fixed them both dinner, Jounouchi filled Mokuba in on the latest news of the gang, and Mokuba regaled the blond with his summer exploits stateside. After they finished eating, Mokuba crammed through his homework assignments while Jounouchi tidied up, and then the two teens spent the evening snacking and playing various titles. When they tired of gaming, Jounouchi could see that the younger teen wasn't ready to call it a night, and he being happy for the company, was reluctant for it to end as well, even though he could feel the tiredness from spending the day bored and alone creeping up on him. "You want to watch a movie?"

"Yeah!"

"Go pick something out, and I'll grab us some snacks." Jounouchi said, ambling into the kitchen. He threw a bag of popcorn in the microwave, and as it cooked, heard the other boy loading the DVD player. He came back in to see the opening credits of 'Saw.' "A horror flick?" He shuddered visibly.

"What's the matter, are you scared?" The black-haired teen teased. "I'll protect you," he said, wrapping his arm around Jounouchi's shoulders and pulling him close.

"I'm not scared, I-I was ... just in the mood for a little comedy." Jounouchi replied, extricating himself from the embrace. He placed the popcorn and two sodas on the coffee table and then sat down on the futon. "Besides, I don't think your brother would like it if I let you watch an R movie-"

"We've watched it together, Jounouchi. He even told me how all the special effects were made." Mokuba explained patiently, as he plopped down next to the older teen.

"Kinda takes the mystery out of it, though, don't it? Why don'tcha pick out something funny ... like 'Scary Movie?'" He asked hopefully. Despite his swagger, he detested horror films.

"C'mon Jou, it's not that bad. I never took you to be a scaredy cat." The raven-haired youth smirked.

"Then bring it on," the blond said with a little more conviction, rising to the challenge. "We'll see who's covering their eyes by the end-"

"Oh, I've seen this movie like eight times already."

"Great," Jounouchi sighed, and grabbed a handful of popcorn. He turned to the screen, and pretty soon both teens were silently watching the movie.

Despite secretly being terrified at the prospect of viewing the thriller, Jounouchi soon found it hard to keep his eyes open, and gradually his body leaned against his young friend. He fought against sleep valiantly until his eyes fluttered closed and he drifted into a fitful slumber. Mokuba, sensing the older teen's weight shift against him, nestled closer to Jounouchi, and pulled a nearby throw over each of them, and, finding it hard to keep his own eyes open, he soon joined the older teen.

The next thing Jounouchi knew, he was being awakened roughly. "Oh shit, Jou! I have to get home, Seto is going to kill me!" Mokuba cried out in a panic, pushing Jounouchi's head off of his shoulder and jumping to his feet. "We both fell asleep and it's close to midnight! I have to call my driver!" Mokuba reached for his cell while the older teen collected his thoughts and stared at the other for a few seconds. Kaiba must have him on some kind of a curfew, he decided.

"I'll give you a ride, Mokie. Gramps lent me his car while he's away, and it'll be faster if I just drive you home."

"Thanks, Jounouchi! Are you sure it's okay?"

"Yeah, I'll even take the heat from your brother," he added with more bravado than he felt.

"You're the best! But, he'll probably just be relieved that I wasn't kidnapped or something." Mokuba replied, laughing nervously.

"D'ya want to call him first? Let him know you're on your way?" The blond asked, grabbing the car keys.

"Nah. If I'm lucky he probably hasn't even missed me yet. He's been beta-testing into the early morning hours every night this week."

"Alright, well let's get ya home before you turn into a pumpkin." Jounouchi ruffled the other boy's hair.

"It was really fun hanging out with you tonight, Jounouchi." Mokuba commented on the ride home.

Jounouchi smiled. "Yeah it was. It's been kind of lonely this summer without you."

"You mean that? You missed me?" Mokuba asked, doubtfully.

Jounouchi thought about it a moment. "Yeah, we did. You're fun ta have around, kiddo."

"I'm not a kid anymore," Mokuba replied, pouting.

Jounouchi glanced over at his young friend. "You're right," he agreed, momentarily dazed by the similarity between Mokuba's profile and his brother's. It reminded the blond how different his young friend was from the last time they'd been together. "So how is school going?"

Mokuba shrugged. "It's alright, but I don't have any friends there. You guys were my only friends."

"None at all?" Jounouchi asked incredulously, but then thinking about it, he realized that the only times he'd ever seen Mokuba had been when he was hanging out with them or with Seto. "It must be hard making new friends in your position." He'd never seen the kid hanging out at the mall or arcades with anyone his age either.

"What do you mean by that?" Mokuba asked suspiciously.

"Well, ya never know why they want to be your friends. Is it the money, or because they'll be in the know when Kaiba Corp issues a game, or get a good slot in a tournament."

"You guys were never like that. You wanted just to be our friends, and even though my brother denies it, I think he knew that too."

Jounouchi eased the car up to the estate gates. "Okay, I guess this is the end of the road, Mokie." He didn't want to think about what Kaiba Seto thought about him or Yuugi or the rest of the gang. The brunet had always been rather upfront about that.

"Just press that button, and let me talk," Mokuba directed Jounouchi's attention to a post that rose to window level on the driver's side.

After he pressed the button, an electronic voice demanded 'Name please.'

"Kaiba Mokuba." The gates swung open, allowing the car to pass. "Voice recognition," Mokuba answered Jounouchi's unspoken question as the blond inched the car up the lighted drive.

Jounouchi noticed the front door to the mansion swinging wide as he pulled up to the house, and Kaiba Seto stormed out calling, "Mokuba, where the hell-" He stopped in his tracks when he recognized Jounouchi at the wheel of the car. "Hello, Jounouchi," he said stiffly, his eyes boring through the blond. Jounouchi stared at the brunet in shock, even in the dim light he could see deep rings under Kaiba's eyes; Mokuba hadn't been exaggerating when he'd said that Kaiba had been working nearly around the clock.

"Kaiba." Jounouchi nodded, before his unabashed staring crossed into rudeness. "Mokuba stopped by the Game Shop-"

Ignoring the blond, Kaiba turned to his brother. "You should know enough to call me and let me know-"

"I didn't think you'd miss me." Mokuba said defiantly as he exited the car.

Kaiba rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "Stop acting so childishly. You know that I'm under a lot of pressure to keep to the release schedule. I can't be worrying-"

"About me." Mokuba continued. "So I got out of your hair. You should be happy I wasn't around pestering you."

"Mokuba," Kaiba's voice softened. "Things will get better after the holidays."

"No they won't Seto! They never do, there's always something else, some new project to test."

"Mokie," Jounouchi interrupted, "You know your brother has your best interests at heart." He couldn't believe that he was defending Kaiba, but he understood the older teen's sense of responsibility to his sibling included keeping Kaiba Corp on the cutting edge.

"I can't believe you're taking his side!" The young teen exclaimed. He ran toward the open front door, but Jounouchi was out of the car in a shot and easily overtook him. "Mokuba, wait!" Jounouchi said, grabbing the teen's arm. "It's not about taking sides. I'm an older brother too! Don'tcha see, everything he does is for you-"

"Stop it! All I want is for him to spend some time with me!" Tears welled in Mokuba's eyes. "Let me go!" He added, struggling against the blond's grip, and Jounouchi sensed the teen was embarrassed by his emotional outburst.

"Not before you agree to come by the Game Shop again. Soon." Jounouchi cajoled. He smiled at the teen's astonished expression. "I meant it, I had fun tonight. And maybe we could keep each other company," he glanced over at Kaiba as if seeking approval, "Until your brother has some more spare time."

"You wouldn't mind that?" Kaiba asked, much to the blond's surprise.

"No, I wouldn't. I was just saying to Mokie that I had fun hanging with him tonight," he answered, once again focusing on the younger teen.

Mokuba's response was instantaneous. He wrapped his arms around the slender teen and hugged him tightly. "You mean it?"

"Yes," Jounouchi gasped. "Now can ya let me go? I can't breathe."

"Oh, sorry, Jounouchi!" Mokuba stepped away. "So I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Jounouchi grinned. "You know where ta find me."

"Good night, Jounouchi! Good night Seto!" The teen called over his shoulder as he ran inside.

"Mokuba, we still need to ... talk about this." Kaiba mumbled, knowing that his brother was already out of hearing range.

Jounouchi stood there awkwardly for a few moments, before deciding to leave. As he brushed by Kaiba, he mumbled, "G'night," but was stopped in his tracks when the brunet teen grabbed his arm.

"Are you okay with him hanging around?" The brunet asked quietly.

Surprised at the tentative tone in the normally confident voice, Jounouchi response was equally soft. "Yeah, it's kinda nice having him around."

"You'll let me know if he becomes a nuisance?" Kaiba's eyes locked with Jounouchi's and the blond felt as if he were a deer caught in the headlights. He nodded his head slowly. "Goodnight, Jounouchi. Safe home." The brunet said, letting go of the blond. Jounouchi watched the taller teen disappear into the house. He stood there for a few moments, a puzzled expression knitting his brow, before climbing back into the car.

"Goodnight, Kaiba." He said belatedly.

As he drove back to the Game Shop, he pondered the fact that Kaiba had actually been ... not exactly nice, but ... civil. That was the word that could best describe the first exchange with the brunet in the blond's memory that hadn't ended with one or the other hurling insults or fists.

*****

Late summer faded into fall, and as the weeks went by, Jounouchi and Mokuba fell into a pattern of hanging out almost every day. After Sugoroku returned from Egypt and Jounouchi no longer had use of the car, Mokuba would come by and his driver would take them both back to the Kaiba estate and then return Jounouchi to his apartment at the end of the evening.

In the beginning Jounouchi felt funny going over to Kaiba's house on such a regular basis, he expected that the tall brunet would not be too happy seeing him so often; in the past, Kaiba had made no attempt hide his annoyance whenever Mokuba had invited the gang over. But that was not the case. At first, Jounouchi barely saw his ex-classmate as he and Mokuba raided the fridge with impunity between battling it out on the plasma TV screen and vegging out while surfing the 500+ channels that were available to them. And though much to his dismay, Jounouchi had found out early on that Kaiba had a parental control on all of the adult channels, he and Mokuba still managed to waste a dizzying amount of time watching brain-rot material.

If he'd been more self-conscious, Jounouchi may have been a bit unsettled by all the time the younger teen devoted to spending with him, but in the blond's mind, it only seemed a natural progression; they'd hung out in a group for years, and Mokuba was far more poised and mature than the average fourteen-year-old, yet, amazingly, they shared in the same juvenile sense of humor. Both teens could be brought to tears by their own improvised voiceovers, and spent hours watching TV with the sound turned low, running their own commentaries on the action.

Truth be told, Jounouchi was happy for the distraction that took him away from his father and the run-down apartment that they shared. The less time he spent there, the better off it was for him. The elder Jounouchi's drinking had steadily gotten worse through the blond's high school education, and if he hadn't been so ready to blame his current situation on his own misspent youth, Jounouchi might have realized that working odd jobs to keep the bill collectors at bay had also impacted negatively on his grades and his ability to pay attention. Many times he'd fallen asleep in class, not because he'd been bored by the subject matter or because he was undisciplined, but rather simply because he'd been exhausted both physically and emotionally from shouldering the burden that his father's disease placed on him. His father's alcoholism was a blemish on Jounouchi's entire memory, but he counted himself fortunate that the older man's sickness had only been responsible for negligence when it came to raising his son. All things considered, Jounouchi's home life had never been unbearably awful, but he found it disturbing and sad to watch his father's life whittled away to the point where there was only room in it for the current load he was putting on.

Jounouchi had been reasonably successful in hiding his home situation from his friends. Honda had some limited knowledge of the elder Jounouchi's drinking problem, but Anzu and Yuugi had been blissfully ignorant. Though Mokuba quickly found out exactly what was going on one day in early October, when Jounouchi had been absent from work for several days, and the younger teen had decided to check up on his friend. The raven-haired boy had been stunned when the door to Jounouchi's apartment had been flung open and he was face to face with a very drunk, older version of his friend.

"Whadda hell do you want?" The man slurred, his bloodshot eyes glaring at the young teen menacingly.

"I-Is Katsuya home?" Mokuba asked.

"'Suya!" The man had hollered over his shoulder. "Get your ass out here!" Upon hearing no reply, the man had stumbled out of Mokuba's view, and the young teen stepped into the apartment, closing the door behind him. He'd been appalled by the squalor. Nothing about the Jounouchi he knew could be resolved to the environment that his friend lived in; one bereft of any warmth, where every surface the eye could see was covered in a film of grime. He heard a loud banging, and spied the older man swaying outside a closed door. "Suya, open up! Ya boyfriend's here! I guess he's checking up on ya!" The man turned his ashen face to Mokuba and he leered. "Ain't ya a bit young ta be datin' my son?"

His eyes the size of saucers, Mokuba answered politely, "We're not dating, sir. We're just friends."

The older man snorted. "Yeah right-just like that kid Yu-"

The door swung open then, and Jounouchi poked his head out. "Dad what's the matter?" The blond was clad only in his boxers, and had draped his blanket over his shoulders. Mokuba could see that he was shivering and his complexion was unhealthily flushed.

"I-I'm sorry Jounouchi," Mokuba squeaked, backing away towards the front entrance.

"Mokie?" Jounouchi trained his eyes on his young friend, and Mokuba could see that he was terribly embarrassed.

Feeling awful for dropping in unannounced, he babbled, "I was worried when you didn't show up at work ... I'm sorry, I'll go."

"Aw-"

"Dad, can it." Jounouchi hissed, and then turned back to the young teen. "Well ... " He said in a defeated tone. "You came all the way over here, why don't you come on in for a coupla minutes." He stepped back in his room and Mokuba followed, pressing against the wall to avoid the older man.

Once they were safely inside the older teen's bedroom, Mokuba glanced around, relieved to find that it was a direct contrast to the rest of the apartment. Though sparsely decorated, the room was immaculate. "I'm sorry, Jou. I-I didn't know," he offered lamely.

Jounouchi merely shrugged and crawled back onto his narrow bed. He was deep in the grips of a fever, and at that point, he really could care less that the younger Kaiba sibling had managed to find out in minutes what he'd carefully hidden from his friends for years. He decided he'd leave being embarrassed over it for later, when he didn't feel like death warmed over.

"Don't be," he said, shivering. "It's not like it's your fault. But now that ya know one of my deep-dark secrets, you'll have ta spill one of yours ta me." He smiled wanly at the other boy.

Mokuba looked at the blond with a stricken expression, before he closed his eyes and blurted, "I'm gay." He opened them and glanced at Jounouchi, who met his stare wide-eyed and mouth agape. Immediately Mokuba felt a blush stain his cheeks.

"Erm." The blond said finally. "I-I was only kidding?" He added, raising his voice in an uncomfortable questioning tone.

"Shit!" Mokuba cried out, realizing he'd outted himself unnecessarily. "You must think I'm some kind of deviant!" He turned the doorknob to escape, only to be held by Jounouchi's voice.

"Mokie, wait! I-I I'm gay too."

Mokuba looked at the blond incredulously. "You aren't just saying that-"

"No," he shook his head. "I wouldn't joke about something like that. Does your brother know?"

Mokuba shook his head slowly. "No, but I know that he's gay too."

"Shit, Mokie. I don't think he wants ya ta be spreading that around."

"It's only fair," the younger teen said. "You told me two secrets ... but you can't tell anyone! Swear to me you won't!" Jounouchi nodded his head, unable to speak, as his body was wracked with a fit of sneezing.

"Are you okay, Jou? Is there anything you need?"

"No I'm fine, just gotta sweat it out." Jounouchi said between chattering teeth, after wiping his nose with a tissue. "So anyway, what brought you over here?"

"You." Mokuba said, sitting on the edge of the bed. He studied the floor beneath his feet intently. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Aw, that's really sweet, Mokie." Jounouchi was moved that the younger teen had been concerned about his well-being. "I just have to kick this fever an' I'll be as right as rain."

"Have you seen a physician?"

"I don't need a doctor to tell me I have a bad cold. I just need some bed rest. I'll be back to work in a couple of days. Thursday at the latest. You should go home, though. You don't want to catch this."

"Okay. I hope you feel better soon." Mokuba said, reluctantly getting up to leave. He stopped as he opened the door, and looked back at the blond. "Jou? I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks, and Mokie? Your secret is safe with me." Jounouchi replied.

The next day a get-well gift basket arrived. Jounouchi thought it was slightly odd, but very sweet of the young Kaiba brother. Overall, he appreciated the sentiment, especially the delicious soup and Kaiba Corp beta releases that had been included in the care package.

Much to Jounouchi's relief, Mokuba never brought up what he'd seen or they'd discussed at the blond's apartment, and they quickly fell back into their pattern of spending time together. But for the blond, Mokuba's confession about his brother resonated in him, and suddenly he found that he could no longer think about the brunet without considering the angular thrust to his hips when he paced about while engaged in conversation, or how the cut of his form-fitting suits accented his athletic body, or the way the color of the fabrics accentuated the blue in his eyes. Slowly, Jounouchi found that the time he spent at the Kaiba mansion was becoming less about engaging Mokuba in diversions and more about waiting to catch a glimpse or have a word with the elusive CEO. Mentally, he cursed his young friend good-naturedly for sharing that secret.

Towards the end of October, Mokuba announced that for Seto's birthday, he was taking his older brother out to dinner, alone. Jounouchi thought it was odd that Mokuba would tell him about an event he was not to be part of, but he shrugged it off. He could understand the brothers having traditions in which he had no place. But as the date grew closer, the blond felt that he should do something to acknowledge the brunet's birthday, after all, they were getting along better. Though in his heart he knew he was lying to himself, he wanted to get Kaiba something for his birthday because he ~liked~ him. For the life of him though, Jounouchi could not think of anything in particular that he could buy the handsome brunet that he could not get for himself, and the day of Kaiba's birthday arrived with Jounouchi still empty-handed.

The blond was apprehensive all day-he'd managed to worm out of Mokuba where they would be dining-but as he trudged about Domino City with his hands in his pockets, slowly being drawn to the restaurant, he was inconsolable that he could not think of one thing to get the object of his affections. As he wandered aimlessly about, he was struck with an idea for the perfect gift, a single red rose. He knew the blatant romantic connotations of the flower would not be lost on the brunet, but he hoped that he would be able to feign nonchalance, and slough it off by simply attributing it to not wanting to come to the restaurant empty-handed. At the same time he would absolve Mokuba of any collusion; he didn't want the elder Kaiba pissed off at his brother for allowing Jounouchi to horn in on their evening alone.

He walked by the restaurant three times before getting up the nerve to walk in, and when he finally did so, he had the distinct impression that he would soon be attending his own funeral.

To his surprise, Kaiba seemed genuinely happy to see him. "I thought that Mokuba would have invited you. You two seem joined at the hip."

"Seto, this is ~our~ time," Mokuba said petulantly. "But now that you're here, Jounouchi, I suppose you can stay," he added unconvincingly.

"Nah, I just wanted to drop by, and give you this. Happy birthday, Kaiba." Jounouchi offered the brunet the single, long-stemmed rose. "I didn't know what to get you-"

Kaiba took the delicate bloom, and Jounouchi noticed that his cheeks had pinked slightly. "No one's ever given me a flower," Kaiba gazed up at the blond, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Don't think too much about it," Jounouchi said hurriedly. "As I said, I didn't know what else ta get ya." He turned away, and caught a malevolent look on Mokuba's unguarded face. "Anyhow, I should be going. This is your time to spend-"

"I'd like it if you stayed." Kaiba said quietly, but Jounouchi also heard a sharp intake of breath from Mokuba. He felt bad then, and selfish. He shouldn't have intruded on Mokuba's alone time with his brother. "No really, I need to help Gramps close up tonight." He lied. "Happy birthday, Kaiba. See you tomorrow, Mokuba?"

"Yeah, Jou! I'll come by after school." Mokuba replied. He smiled brightly at the blond.

"Thanks, Jounouchi. And ... you can call me Seto." The brunet said, casually.

"S-Seto it is." The blond tested, a little thrill running down his spine from hearing the brunet's name roll off of his lips. "If you like, you can call me Katsuya, or Jou-"

"Okay, Katsuya. We'll see you tomorrow."

"Seto, aren't you still working on the press releases?" Mokuba asked.

Kaiba turned to his brother. "Yes. But I should be home earlier from here on in."

On the bus ride back to his neighborhood, Jounouchi thought about how his name had sounded being uttered by the other's lips. He'd never liked his given name, but when Kaiba had said it, his body had responded by becoming aroused. While he'd been alarmed at Mokuba's reaction, he chalked it up to the fact that the younger teen hardly spent any time alone with his brother, and Jounouchi felt slightly guilty for intruding. But now he couldn't wait to get back to the confines of his bedroom where he could jack off imagining how good it would feel if it were Seto's hand ministering to his needful erection, whispering his name over and over again.

As the Christmas shopping season neared, Kaiba suddenly became more available, and he began to join the two teens more often in the evenings. Mokuba, since becoming fully in the know about Jounouchi's home situation, had taken to inviting the blond over for late dinners after his shift ended at the Game Shop, and weekend brunches before the blond went into work. On Jounouchi's rare days off, he would meet the younger Kaiba sibling at the arcade after school. It got so that the blond went home only to sleep, check in on his father, and pay bills, and Kaiba remarked idly one night that perhaps a spare bedroom should be set up for Jounouchi.

"That would be so cool!" Mokuba beamed.

Jounouchi was taken aback. "Erm ... I-I'm not sure my old man would be cool with that ... but thanks for the offer," he blushed profusely.

Kaiba snickered. "I was just kidding."

"I knew that!" Jounouchi snorted, his blush deepening. He realized suddenly that Kaiba's words lacked the venom that he would have expected from the brunet. He locked gazes with the older teen and was briefly treated to a flicker of amusement gracing Kaiba's features.

Slowly the two older teens began to spend more time together. At first Jounouchi would hang around for a few minutes after Mokuba had gone to bed just talking shop with the other teen, or on rare occasion, Kaiba would drive Jounouchi home himself. One night Kaiba asked the blond if he wanted to hang out and watch a movie. Jounouchi felt vaguely guilty, after all he was Mokuba's friend, but he found the chance to just be alone with Kaiba for an extended period of time an irresistible temptation. When nothing happened between them except some banter during some of the film's slow moments, Jounouchi felt slightly disappointed. But pretty soon thereafter, he found that he was spending almost as much time alone with Kaiba as he was with Mokuba.

At the outset, Mokuba had seemed unperturbed by this new situation, and for a while Jounouchi happily split his time between the two brothers. He was amazed at how easy it was to get along with Kaiba, as the brunet had always been somewhat of a prick toward the blond and his friends. But as Christmas grew near, Mokuba became reluctant to bring Jounouchi back to the Kaiba mansion, claiming that once again his brother was swamped with work, and choosing instead to hang out at the arcade or the Game Shop. Jounouchi was taken by surprise one afternoon when Seto showed up.

The store was packed with holiday shoppers, and Jounouchi was barely keeping ahead of the crush. By the time he realized that Kaiba was in the shop, the brunet had been able to observe the blond patiently waiting on customer after customer for the better part of a half hour. Despite the frantic behavior of the shoppers, Jounouchi maintained a calm and friendly demeanor, working with each customer at first as if they were his only responsibility, but then gently nudging them along in their decision. Jounouchi was shocked to see the older teen there, but his face lit up in a brilliant smile when he recognized the brunet.

"K-Seto, what brings you here?"

"I was just checking our product placement. I wanted to make sure you weren't giving an unfair advantage to Industrial Illusions," he deadpanned.

"N-no, Gramps would never do that!"

"I know that, Katsuya. I was only joking. Do you get any time for lunch?" Jounouchi looked at the clock on the register. "Yeah, Gramps should be back any minute."

"Good, I'll buy you lunch today."

"Hey, thanks! I only get a half an hour, though. I usually just eat upstairs, it saves me money too."

"No problem, I'll be back in a few." Kaiba said. Before Jounouchi could respond, the brunet had left the store.

He returned within an hour toting a shopping bag, and Sugoroku deftly took over the register.

"Good afternoon Seto," the older man greeted.

"Sugoroku," Kaiba nodded. "I'm going to feed your employee for you today.

"Good thing you are rich," the older man chuckled. "I've needed to take a second mortgage since Jounouchi's been eating his lunch here. Take a little extra time today," he said to the blond with a wink.

"Thanks, Gramps ... I'll make up the time tonight."

Jounouchi led the brunet up the stairs and into Mutou's apartment. He guided Kaiba to the kitchen, and the brunet unpacked two bento boxes. "I hope you don't mind tempura."

"No, that's fine! I'm really glad you came by today."

"Really? I thought I did something to piss you off. I haven't seen you in a while."

Jounouchi shrugged. "Mokie's been acting ... I dunno. He just hasn't wanted to hang out at home, and when I asked him about it, he said that you got busy again and didn't want to get in your hair. He mentioned something about some kind of secret development."

Kaiba nodded as he handed Jounouchi a pair of disposable chopsticks. He opened his meal and picked at it for a bit before continuing. "That's true, but ... I didn't mean for him to keep you away. I was thinking that you might like to test it out with me one night."

"I would love to! You always put out the coolest shit!"

Kaiba smiled. "Yes, we do. But this isn't a new game, and it won't be available until next year if at all. It's still in the early stages." He went on to outline the new gaming system that they were prototyping that would allow gamers to play any game from any platform. If it worked it would revolutionize the industry. There were certain copyright issues though, that might make it impossible to market in some parts of the world, namely the US, but the worldwide market showed promise.

"What about the different zones?" Jounouchi asked.

"The zones were set up for marketing purposes, so overriding them won't infringe on anyone's copyright. We've developed a chip that can read all encodings, even if the gaming system doesn't clear all the copyright hurdles, the chip will be quite lucrative."

"That's so cool. And I would love to come over sometime to check it out." He glanced at the kitchen clock, and sighed. "But now I've got to get back to the Shop."

"Yes, and I've got to get back to the office. This was nice ..." the brunet said blandly.

"It was." Jounouchi agreed, at a loss as to what else to say.

"I'd like to do it again, sometime soon, if that's okay with you?"

"I'd like that." Jounouchi said, clearing the remains of their meals. "Seto?" he asked softly. "It's been nice when we've hung out together. I never expected we'd be able to hang out in the same room together, but I like that we're almost ... friends."

"Almost?" Kaiba looked puzzled. "What more do I have to do to become your friend Katsuya?"

"That was stupid of me! I ... I just never thought you'd be my friend. I thought you were being nice to me because I was hanging out with Mokuba."

Kaiba snorted. "I thought you knew me better than that. I don't do anything that I don't want to."

"You're right," Jounouchi capitulated, feeling suddenly embarrassed.

Kaiba smiled. "You really do suffer from foot-in-mouth-syndrome. So perhaps then, I'll see you tonight?" He said, changing the subject, as they made their way back to the store.

"Yeah, if you can convince your brother that it's alright." They were descending the stairs, and Kaiba stopped short causing Jounouchi to run into him. Momentarily off-balance, the blond found himself righted by the brunet's strong arms, but pressed together in such close quarters, he couldn't help but notice how nice it felt to be in the other's arms. Embarrassed by his reaction, Jounouchi blurted, "Um, Seto, you can let go now."

The brunet held on for a few moments more before releasing him, and then he grinned down at the blond, "I'll speak to Mokuba, and set things straight."

*****

Jounouchi couldn't remember exactly how it came to be that he finally understood that Kaiba was attracted to him. The revelation had just happened out of the blue one day soon after the first time the brunet had dropped in for lunch at the Game Shop. Even though they were both insanely busy in their respective jobs, Jounouchi realized that the CEO was not coming to see him for idle conversation about his brother. At first, the frequent trysts had been passed off as just that, but when he was cleaning up the remains of their lunch for the second time in one week, and Jounouchi noted that the brunet had called him every day in each of the two prior weeks, the blond came to the irrefutable conclusion that Kaiba was enjoying more than just his company.

He couldn't put his finger on why he knew that his hunch was correct. Kaiba wasn't the flirty type, so he'd given Jounouchi no indication that he was interested in him beyond their shared relationship to Mokuba. But he trusted his instincts, and the knowledge that the brunet wanted him was as thrilling as it was intoxicating. More and more, he began to look forward to the times that he could spend alone with the elder Kaiba, and found himself enjoying his time spent with Mokuba less and less. In short, he began to feel somewhat resentful of the younger teen's ability to monopolize his time.

If he'd been thinking clearly, perhaps Jounouchi would have seen all the outward warning signals of a boy in the throes of his first crush. But the blond was completely wrapped up in his own fantasies about Seto. He was shocked into reality though early in December when he idly remarked to Mokuba that he wondered if Kaiba would go out with him.

"You mean, on a date?" Mokuba had asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Well, yeah-"

"Jounouchi, he doesn't like you like ~that~!"

"You don't think?" He asked, puzzled.

"No! Of course not!" Mokuba giggled. "In fact, I know that he's planning on asking someone else out."

"Oh," Jounouchi said, eyes downcast, and missing the utter look of relief that crossed the younger teen's face. "Who?"

"Um ... some business partner's son. No one you've ever heard of." Mokuba lied.

"Hn, he never mentioned anything to me." Jounouchi scowled.

"Why would he?" Mokuba asked innocently.

Jounouchi shrugged. Why would Seto, indeed? He thought dejectedly that maybe he had misread the brunet after all, and felt ill thinking that at some point in the future any time spent in proximity with Kaiba would probably be shared with his new boyfriend. Because he had no doubt that if Kaiba Seto was going to ask someone out, they would not refuse.

For a second, he wondered if Mokuba had been mistaken, but no one knew the young CEO better than his brother.

"Jou, are you okay?" A hand fell on his arm and he looked up to Mokuba's concerned face.

"Yeah, Mokie. I'm fine," he lied, and then glanced at the time, "but I can't hang out tonight-I promised Gramps I'd check in at closing."

"Oh, okay." Mokuba replied sadly. "But we're still gonna hang out tomorrow?"

"Um, yeah." Jounouchi agreed, though he knew that the last thing he wanted was to be in the same house with Kaiba. He felt his throat constrict. "How about we go to the movies or something. I'm getting tired of just hanging around your house."

"Okay!" Mokuba chirped brightly. "You pick the movie, and I'll come by and pick you up."

Jounouchi spent the first two weeks of December studiously avoiding the brunet and shirking his phone calls, which turned out to be easier than he had first thought it would be. The Christmas crush was in full swing, and he barely had time to breathe, let alone think about the other teen. Of course that meant he had little time for Mokuba, and he could tell from the strain in the younger teen's voice that he was none too happy about being pushed aside. He promised his young friend that once Christmas was over, and after the inevitable return season in early January, they'd spend plenty of time together. But he found no joy in that scenario, because it meant seeing the brunet, who by now Jounouchi had ascertained was out of his league.

When all his other provocations had failed, Mokuba implored the blond to spend Christmas Eve at the Kaiba estate.

"Seto asked specifically if you'd join us for dinner." Mokuba finally pleaded, all other enticements exhausted

"He did?" Jounouchi's mood lightened slightly.

"Yes." Mokuba said slowly. "So we can count on you?"

"Is anyone else gonna be there?"

"Not that I know of. Why?"

"Just wondering. Alright," Jounouchi said, distracted. His mind already focused on the evening he would spend with the brunet. He needed to find gifts for the two brothers. He couldn't just show up empty-handed.

"So we'll see you around eight? I'll send the car."

As he was driven to the estate on Christmas Eve, Jounouchi hoped that Mokuba had not been mistaken, and there would be no 'special' guests, but the blond steeled himself for the possibility. If that were the case, he could always beg off as not feeling well.

The house was bedecked festively for the season, strings of lights framed every window and garlands of Scotch pine boughs draped the railings of the steps and porch, and wound around the entry pillars. Jounouchi felt a pang of loneliness as they pulled in front of the house; he hadn't realized how much he'd missed the company of both Kaibas, missed the camaraderie, and the inclusion of being part of their family.

Kaiba was waiting for him at the front door. "Jounouchi," he said humorlessly as the blond approached the steps leading to the house.

"Seto, long time, no see! Merry Christmas!" He replied, suddenly feeling shy.

The brunet arched a brow. "Merry Christmas, Katsuya. Not from me trying-"

Mokuba appeared behind his brother. "Jou! I'm so glad you're here! Merry Christmas! Seto brought home some great new games and movies! A couple aren't even out in the stores or theaters yet!"

"That's cool, Mokie." Jounouchi shifted the packages he was holding to his other arm and embraced the young teen. "Merry Christmas."

"Dinner's waiting." Kaiba said, and turned on his heel.

"Don't mind him," Mokuba said without divulging any further information.

Dinner started off rocky. Kaiba was giving Jounouchi the cold shoulder, and the blond was beginning to have flashbacks from high school of the brunet's wrath. After they'd finished off dessert, Mokuba excused himself for a moment, and Kaiba wasted no time getting to the point. "So what the fuck is the matter with you?" He asked in a conversational tone, which made it seem all the more lethal to the blond.

"Whad'ya talking about?" Jounouchi pushed the remains of his dessert around his plate.

"You've been avoiding me."

Jounouchi sighed. "It's not that," he said slowly. "It's just been really busy at the shop." He offered. He glanced at the brunet's unreadable eyes and winced under the glare. "Look, it's just that ... I thought-"

Mokuba returned to the room, and Jounouchi noticed the brunet's expression had softened. "Let's go open presents!" Mokuba exclaimed.

Kaiba smiled benignly as Mokuba led the teens into the parlor where a tremendous Christmas tree had been decorated. Jounouchi sat on a low sofa and was surprised that the brunet took the seat next to him. "Mokuba, hand out the gifts." The brunet directed.

The next few minutes were an opening frenzy for the Kaiba brothers, with Mokuba receiving the lion's share of gifts. Kaiba was genuinely pleased by Jounouchi's gift, a pair of supple driving gloves. The blond had noticed that the pair Kaiba favored had been rather threadbare. Mokuba loved the Industrial Illusion titles that Jounouchi got for him, while the elder brother grumbled good-naturedly about the inferior quality of the graphics.

Jounouchi was stunned by Kaiba's extravagant gift of a new laptop. It meant that now he could keep in touch with his friends any time, instead of being at the mercy of the library, and he wondered if he could ever explain how much that meant to him. He thought of how great it would be to be able to IM with Honda at any time, and to keep in touch with Yuugi and Anzu by email. Mokuba's gift of an mp3 player was also more than the blond was comfortable with, but each brother urged him not to be self-conscious, the money they spent on him was a mere pittance. They settled in to watch the old movie "It's A Wonderful Life," and soon Mokuba was stretched out on the floor fast asleep.

As the credits rolled, Jounouchi stretched, saying "I better get home. Thanks for everything, Seto. This has been the best Christmas I can remember. Tell Mokuba I said thanks, too."

"Katsuya," Kaiba said softly so as not to disturb his brother. "Can we talk for a moment?"

Jounouchi nodded his head and the brunet led him to his study, which was just off the parlor. He leaned against his desk and folded his arms over his chest.  
"What's going on here?" He asked, and Jounouchi knitted his brow.

"I don't know what you mean," he said finally.

Kaiba sighed. "What's going on between you and my brother?"

Jounouchi looked at him wide-eyed. "Nothin'! We just hang out, we're friends!" He gaped at the brunet, puzzled.

"And what about us?"

Jounouchi felt his mouth go dry. "I don't know." He said slowly. "I guess we're friends, but ..." His voice trailed off uncertainly, and silence stretched out between the two teens. He was suddenly aware of the far-off ticking of a clock marking the seconds as they slipped by.

"Mokuba-" They both began at the same time.

"Said that I should back off." Kaiba finished. "He told me I was making you uncomfortable." He added. "I kept calling you to try and explain."

"Explain what?" Jounouchi asked, confused. "He told me that you were going to ... Oh!" He exclaimed as he deciphered what the brunet was saying. He hadn't been wrong after all!

"What was I going to?" Kaiba asked, his eyes narrowing.

Jounouchi blushed. "You were going to ask someone out. And I didn't want to be ... a third wheel."

Kaiba laughed harshly, and Jounouchi was surprised at his outburst. When the brunet managed to control his laughter, he addressed the confused blond.

"It appears my brother has had an ulterior motive to keeping us apart. I think he may have a crush on you."

"You know he's gay?"

Kaiba nodded. "And so do you? What else do you know about my family?"

"How-"

"Nevermind," Kaiba pressed. "What else did he tell you?"

"Th-that you ... are." The words echoed in the silence.

Kaiba nodded curtly, gauging Jounouchi's reaction. When the blond stared at him impassively he asked quietly, "And you?"

Blushing, Jounouchi nodded. "So there is no one else? You weren't going to ask someone out?" He asked hopefully.

"Oh there is someone I was going to ask out," Kaiba replied, and Jounouchi's heart sunk. "You." The blond's head shot up and he met Kaiba's mirthful gaze. The brunet stepped close to him and he whispered, "So, what do you say?"

He felt the brunet's hot breath caress his cheek and swallowed hard. In answer he nuzzled against Kaiba's throat and pressed his lips against the flawless skin. His tongue darted out and he tasted an undertone of salt, breathed in the soft fragrance of the brunet's cologne and became hungry for more. Kaiba pulled his face up and devoured the blond's mouth ravenously. Their bodies melded together, hands caressing and kneading any part that came within contact. Neither teen was aware of a pair of grey eyes that stared wistfully from the doorway.

Kaiba pulled away suddenly, panting. "If we don't stop-" his voice trailed off as Jounouchi's hand ghosted over his crotch and palmed his erection.

"If we don't stop, what?" The blond purred.

"Ng." Kaiba gasped as Jounouchi's fingers rubbed the brunet's groin before Kaiba pulled his hand away. He kissed it, tongue laving over the slender digits. "We have to take it slow, Jounouchi. I don't want to hurt my brother."

Jounouchi caressed the brunet's cheek and drew a ragged breath. "You're right. As much as I want you to fuck me," he grinned broadly at the brunet's dumbfound expression, "We have to make sure he understands that I can only see him as a friend."

"You ~are~ his friend?" Kaiba asked. "You weren't just using him?"

"Of course not! He's like a brother to me! You don't think-"

The brunet shook his head, and held Jounouchi's face in his hands. He pressed his forehead against the blond's. "Of course I didn't think that. But I had to ask, to get it out in the open. I want this to work between us, and we can't have anything hanging over us. His lips brushed the blond's chastely, only to be drawn into another heated kiss. Again he pulled away, and Jounouchi could see his eyes were dark with lust. "Gods I want to drill you right now." The brunet groaned. His dirty talk sent a thrill down Jounouchi's spine. "You need to leave, and I will talk to Mokuba about us after Christmas." He stared intently into the blond's amber eyes. "I love you Katsuya."

Jounouchi's eyes widened in shock and he hugged the brunet tightly. "I love you too," he whispered. It hadn't occurred to him until he'd heard those words from the brunet's lips; but he knew they were true. He loved Kaiba Seto. He smiled against the brunet's shoulder. What was more, Kaiba Seto loved him back.

He couldn't believe it when two days later Kaiba called to tell him that he'd discussed their relationship with Mokuba and the young teen was fine with it.

"Are you sure?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes, he said he was happy for us."

"And you believe him?"

Kaiba shrugged before he responded. He didn't fully believe his younger brother, but the fact that Mokuba adamantly denied having any feelings for Jounouchi seemed to mean that he realized how hopeless his crush had been. "I have to, Katsuya." The brunet didn't have the heart to present evidence to the contrary to Mokuba, believing that it would be best if he let Mokuba work it out on his own. Meantime, he and Jounouchi would take it slow, allowing Mokuba to get used to the idea, while at the same time, Jounouchi could prove to the young teen that he still valued his friendship. "He's going to call you to hang out again. Please ... don't brush him off."

"I wouldn't think of it. Though I do want to spend time with you. Alone, Seto."

The brunet smiled at Jounouchi's impatience. "As do I," he chuckled. "We still have some unfinished business, and I have the blue balls to prove it."

"Well, I have just the remedy for that." The blond snickered. "Anytime you're ready, hotshot."

Kaiba smiled at Jounouchi's bravado. "I think this New Year's Eve will be one for the record books." He said cryptically, leaving it to the blond's imagination just what he was planning.

*****

It was as if nothing had happened. Jounouchi and Mokuba sat side-by-side on the futon, passing the time playing video games while waiting for Kaiba to come home. The CEO had been called to the office over some kind of security system failure. When he'd first arrived at the mansion, the blond had been nervous about seeing his young friend after the brothers' "discussion," but Mokuba had answered the door himself, and had been his usually perky self.

As the hours slipped by, it became more and more apparent that whatever the emergency was, it looked like Seto would be pulling an all-nighter. Mokuba drifted in and out of a restless doze as Jounouchi channel-surfed while he waited for Kaiba to call him with an update on when he might be wrapping up. Jounouchi hated the idea of leaving his young friend alone, at least before he'd made sure that Kaiba was okay with it. Usually there were servants in the household, but they'd all been given the week off between Christmas and the New Year. But when he'd called the brunet, he'd been curtly ordered off the phone.

"Stay put. I'll call you as soon as I can." Was all Kaiba had managed before hanging up.

"Mokuba, maybe you should head up to bed," Jounouchi said then, softly shaking the other teen awake.

"Mmm?" Mokuba blinked sleepily. "Seto's still not home?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.

"No. I'll stay here until he gets back, but you should go to sleep."

"I'll stay awake and keep you company."

"Nah, you'd need toothpicks to keep your eyes open, kiddo." Jounouchi chuckled lightly. "Just go to sleep."

After a bit more cajoling, Mokuba grumpily agreed, and trudged off to bed. "Are you gonna be here in the morning?" He asked, and the blond could hear the hint of strain in his voice.

"No, Seto just asked me to stay put 'til he got home." He said quickly, echoing the brunet's words.

"I'm not a baby any more, Jou. You can go home."

"I know that, Mokie. But you know your brother, I guess since he gave all the servants time off for the holidays, he'd rather you weren't alone." He shrugged his innocence in the matter. Jounouchi knew that Kaiba wasn't opposed to leaving Mokuba alone, but both older teens had looked forward to spending some time together even though they hadn't yet had an official date. That would be on New Year's Eve, only three days away. He wondered just what the brunet had up his sleeve for the evening, and grinned as he imagined it would be quite ... satisfying for them both. He sat down, splayed out on the couch, and resumed surfing until he too was fast asleep.

He was dreaming about Seto. They were in the brunet's room, on his bed. Kaiba had playfully pushed Jounouchi down on it, and had unbuttoned the blond's shirt. He suckled on a nipple, and then trailed kisses down Jounouchi's taut stomach. The blond felt his cock spring to life as Kaiba palmed his groin and then set to work on his fly.

"Hey, I thought you said we should take it slow?" He protested weakly.

"I need you now, Katsuya." Kaiba replied, lust darkening his eyes.

Jounouchi groaned as Kaiba's hands slid in his pants. He didn't want to wake up, he was enjoying this too much, but a sudden shift in his consciousness told him that what was happening wasn't just a dream. He sat bolt upright, and realized immediately that he wasn't in Kaiba's room, he was still in the family room, and there naked, on his knees between his legs, was Mokuba, hands working over Jounouchi's very erect penis.

"Fuck! Mokuba!" Jounouchi exclaimed, grabbing the teen's hands and wresting them away from his body. "What-"

"What the hell is going on here!?!" Kaiba's voice thundered from the doorway, and Jounouchi turned to see the utter shock on the older teen's face change to complete rage.

"It's not what-"

"It's not what it looks like?" The brunet stormed. "Mokuba, GO TO YOUR ROOM!" His eyes locked with his brother's fathomless grey, and Mokuba wordlessly got up from his prone position.

"He wants ~me~ Seto." The younger Kaiba said, completely at ease in his nakedness. Jounouchi cast the teen a sidelong glance, and noticed that Mokuba too was hard. The blond's head began to spin, and every fiber in his body told him that this was so wrong. He was NOT attracted to Mokuba, he'd been turned on by his dream of Seto, and he had to figure a way to let the older Kaiba know that. Immediately.

"I was asleep! You fucking molested me, Mokuba!" He exclaimed indignantly, as he grabbed a pillow to cover his crotch and hide the evidence of his flagging arousal.

Ignoring the blond, Kaiba continued to glare at his brother. "You set this up. You breached Kaiba Corp security, for THIS?" He cast an arm wide sweeping it toward Jounouchi. "Get out of my sight, NOW."

Jounouchi cringed and turned toward Mokuba. He saw the teen's resolve stumble for a moment before he set his jaw stubbornly. "You can't keep us apart, Seto."

The brunet barked a humorless laugh, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh no? Watch me."

He turned to Jounouchi then, and schooled his features carefully. "You know that Mokuba is a minor?" The blond nodded. "If I catch you alone with him, I will press charges against you."

"But-" Jounouchi pleaded.

Kaiba continued impassively. "Do you understand?" Jounouchi gulped and nodded.

"Don't listen to him Jou! He's just jealous!"

Jounouchi turned to the raven-haired youth, glad to have the opportunity to say something. "Mokuba, what you did was wrong. I-I don't think about you like that." He saw that the teen was crestfallen, but he continued. He needed to get through to him once and for all. "I've always thought of you as a kid brother-"

"Why, Jou? Why him and not me!?!" Mokuba's eyes welled with tears, and Jounouchi empathized with the young teen's pain.

"I don't know, it just happened that way."

"He'll never treat you as good as me! You'll never be good enough for him," the younger teen snarled. "He can't possibly love you!"

Jounouchi sighed, and then said softly, "That may be the case, Mokie, but I love him."

"You. Can't!" The grey-eyed youth sobbed.

"But I do, and as much as I hate hurting you, you need to know that."

The younger teen looked stricken and stared first at Jounouchi and then Kaiba in horror. And then suddenly, wordlessly, he let out a keening wail and fled the room. Both older teens stared silently after the boy and then Kaiba set a couple of pillows back on the sofa and picked up the throw that had fallen to the floor.

"Don't ya think you should go talk ta him?" Jounouchi asked.

"I'll talk to him later, when I've calmed down." He picked up the remote and shut off the entertainment center before turning to the blond.

"I can't do this." He said.

"Can't do what?"

"Us."

"I tell him that I love you and you 'can't do this?' You're gonna let him do that to you? To us?"

"There is no 'us,' Katsuya."

"Shit, Seto. I love my sister, but if she made the moves on my boyfriend like that, I'd be all over her like white on rice. She would be grounded until she was thirty." The brunet looked away. "You're serious." Jounouchi said, comprehending the finality of Kaiba's statement.

"Katsuya, he'll be going off to school in a couple of years-"

"A couple of years? You want me to wait for you a for a couple of years? What kind of bullshit is that, Seto? Look, I know you love him, but he's acting like a spoiled brat who can't have his way. Don't do this to yourself. Don't do this to us."

"I have to. He'll never abide my relationship with you. He sabotaged Kaiba Corp's entire security system just to get rid of me for a few hours, so that he could ..."

"Seto, he's a KID. I know he's a genius and all, but he still has the feelings of a kid. He'll get over me. Look, we said we'd take it slow, let's just go with that. He'll come around, you'll see. I'll still hang with him so he knows that he ain't bein' abandoned." Jounouchi reasoned.

"You don't understand, Jounouchi."

"Don't understand what, Seto?"

"He's a Kaiba. He won't give up until he gets what he wants." The brunet said with resignation.

"Oh, I understand all right." Jounouchi growled. "You're letting him dictate your relationships. You're letting him run your life, RUIN your life." He spat.

"He's always BEEN my life." Kaiba turned to Jounouchi, and the blond could see that his eyes were glistening. Jounouchi felt his anger boiling in his blood; he couldn't believe that Kaiba would sacrifice his own happiness over his brother's impossible behavior.

"But that doesn't give him free rein to behave like he did! Seto, I was asleep! You're brother had his fucking hands down my pants while I was ASLEEP. Dreaming about you. That's not right! He needs to learn something about boundaries!"

"I think you should go now." Kaiba replied flatly, before Jounouchi could launch into a full-blown diatribe.

"So that's it?" The blond arched his eyebrows incredulous that Kaiba would dismiss him.

"How much clearer do you need for me to be?"

"Fuck this shit, Kaiba. See ya around!" Jounouchi felt tears sting his eyes. He shook his head. There was no fucking way he was going to cry over this stupidity. He grabbed his coat and went to push past the brunet, only to be caught in a vice-like grip.

"Katsuya," Kaiba said hoarsely. "I'm sorry."

He didn't feel charitable. "Yeah, well save it for your brother, Kaiba. For when he grows up to be the selfish prick you're allowing him to become." Jounouchi sneered, and then wrestled free from the brunet's grasp. He didn't bother looking back, didn't care to see a single tear sliding down Seto's cheek.

Kaiba frowned as he watched his would-be lover leave. He was furious, and as much as he'd wanted to take it out on Jounouchi, he knew that doing so would have been misdirecting his fury. He walked over to the dry bar and poured himself a scotch, neat. He knew what he'd walked in on was one-sided, he had all confidence that the blond had no sexual interest in his brother, but he'd also been sure that Mokuba would never try something like that. He took a sip and stared out a window into the darkness. He was royally pissed at Mokuba, but there was still the part of him, the guardian and protector, who wanted to make it all better, to shield Mokuba from any pain he might suffer.

Jounouchi's words stung and rang true, but he felt helpless. He'd taken care of Mokuba as far back as he could remember, so to put his own well-being before his brother's was an anathema to the brunet. And yet Mokuba had willfully sabotaged the company that he'd poured his heart and soul into to make a play for his love interest. That action hurt the brunet deeply and infuriated him at the same time. He'd never been mad at Mokuba like he was at the moment, and that is why he'd chosen to stay with Jounouchi, rather than go after his brother when he ran away from them. He was afraid of what he would say to Mokuba. He knew the blond could take anything he dished out, and Jounouchi had proven that tonight.

He felt his chest tighten. He loved Katsuya. They'd said it to each other, and Jounouchi had admitted it to Mokuba. Perhaps, he thought as he sipped his scotch, that confession would open his brother's eyes. If he knew that he and Jounouchi were serious about their relationship, that it wasn't just a fling, it wouldn't hurt so bad. He drained his drink and wondered abjectly if he would manage to get any sleep. He thought about calling the blond just to make sure that he was okay, but he knew Jounouchi could take care of himself, but would be far from okay. He knew he wasn't.

He stripped to his undershirt and boxers, then curled up on the couch and pulled the throw over himself. Although the scene he'd walked in on had turned his stomach, he found some solace lying in the place that Jounouchi had so recently vacated.

* * * * *

Jounouchi sighed and let out a string of expletives. He'd been prone to doing that lately, since he'd left the Kaiba estate exactly one week ago. His extended foul mood had been duly noted by his father, who'd then had the wherewithal not to bust his balls over it. He'd decided on the long walk home that night that it would be a cold day in hell before he gave in and called the brunet, but his righteous anger hadn't stopped him from being miserable. He'd spent New Year's Eve at the gin mill his father hung out at with his drinking cronies, wondering what he was missing at the Kaiba household. He imagined Mokuba gloating over the elder Kaiba's misery and clenched his jaw. Just thinking about that whole episode that night, first with Mokuba violating him, and then Kaiba dumping him, was enough to get him pissed off all over again. Yet, as angry as he was, he was equally as lonely. He missed both Kaiba and Mokuba. He'd spent the lion's share of his waking hours with them, and despite how badly things had turned out, he wished that one or the other of the brothers would just come to their senses so that they could go back to the way they were. Well, not exactly, he certainly didn't want Mokuba pawing at him again. He shuddered involuntarily at the thought. It wasn't that Mokuba was unattractive, but it just felt so ... incestuous.

Mokuba had called him the very next day. At first Jounouchi had thought that his young friend was going to apologize, but as the teen had rambled on, ranting about his brother, the blond realized that the younger Kaiba brother was still operating under the delusion that he had a shot with him.

When Jounouchi had finally managed to get a word in edgewise, he knew his annoyance bled through in his voice.

"Mokuba, you need to leave me alone. Your brother was serious about pressing charges. I can't talk to you on the phone-you cannot call me anymore-and whatever you do, DON'T come to my apartment or the Game Shop when I'm working." He waited for the other teen to answer, and as the silence dragged on, Jounouchi continued, no longer caring whether or not the other teen was on the line, just feeling relieved to get it off his chest. "What you did last night was so WRONG on so many levels, and I hafta tell you, I feel violated, and I'm pissed at you. I've always treated you with nothing but respect, and I can't believe that you would do something like that to me. Hello? You there?" When there was no response, Jounouchi hung up, not knowing if the other teen had heard a word he'd said. He must have though, because he didn't call Jounouchi back.

In desperation, Jounouchi had finally confessed the entire sordid affair in an email to Anzu. Of his three closest friends, Jounouchi believed she would be the most sympathetic to his plight, and she had been, once she'd gotten over the initial shock that he and Kaiba had even been on speaking terms. She'd written a long and comforting note that had persuaded him to stick to his guns, and let Kaiba make the first move.

Unfortunately she'd had no good advice telling him how to hold onto his temper and his sanity until that event should occur.

The bell on the shop door tinkled, reminding Jounouchi of all the times he'd heard that sound and seen the brunet walking through the portal. He looked up and was completely shocked to see Kaiba strolling towards him. The brunet looked like Jounouchi felt-like death warmed over-and the blond took some satisfaction seeing the week's toll on the other teen. As Kaiba got closer, Jounouchi noticed deep circles under the brunet's eyes, and his face was ashen and gaunt.

He came up to the counter and stood opposite the blond. "Can we talk?"

"About what?"

"Mokuba."

"He's the last person I want to talk about." The blond grumbled, but then something in Kaiba's demeanor gave Jounouchi pause. "Kaiba, is he okay? What's going on?"

"I don't know Jounouchi," Kaiba managed in a strangulated voice. "I was hoping you might be able to shed some light. Mokuba's missing."

"What do you mean, he's missing?"

"What part of missing don't you understand?" The brunet snapped. His expression softened slightly when he saw Jounouchi's jaw set. "He disappeared."

"When?"

"Yesterday morning." Kaiba said, his gaze shifting to the games under the counter glass.

"Didja call the cops?"

"No."

"Why not? What if he's been kidnapped?"

"Jounouchi, he hasn't been kidnapped-"

"How can you be so sure?"

"If he'd been kidnapped, there would have been a ransom note of some kind. Besides, only an idiot would kidnap one of the richest teenagers in the world. He slipped his security detail." The brunet added before Jounouchi could ask.

 

Jounouchi shook his head in disbelief. "Ya gotta be kidding me. Has he used any credit cards? Hit any ATMs?" The brunet shook his head twice.

"How much cash do you think he had?"

"I don't know. I give him a substantial allowance." Kaiba shrugged. "If he's been squirreling any of it away, he could be gone for awhile."

Jounouchi frowned. Being underage, even with cash, Mokuba would have a hard time finding a room at a decent hotel. He didn't want to think about some of the seedier rooming houses he knew of, where locked rooms could be opened with the right amount of money or favors. Mokuba was far too innocent to be out on his own, the blond concluded. "Seto, ya gotta call the police. What if he's in trouble?"

"Call the police? How long to you think it would be before the tabloids got a hold of it and it became fodder for the rumor mill for the next few weeks?"

"So you're more concerned about your image than that your brother's missing?"

"No, Jounouchi! Who do you think would be more hurt by this story, me, the worried guardian, or him? Or how about the fact that the fight we had was over you?"

Jounouchi sighed. He could only imagine what it was like to live under the watchful lens of gossip columns. He thought about how embarrassing it would be to have his personal life talked about over breakfast tables and at water coolers all over Japan. Suddenly, Kaiba's way of going about finding his brother made a lot more sense to the blond. "Okay, I see your point now." He said sheepishly.

"I was hoping that you might have heard from him, or might have some idea where he'd go." Kaiba's eyes met the blond's. "Have you?"

Shaking his head, the blond said, "No, but he did call me the day after, I told him to get lost."

"You WHAT?!?"

"Well, in not so many words." Jounouchi quickly corrected himself. "After everything that went down, he was still operating under the assumption that his feelings were ... reciprocated."

"I see." Kaiba crossed his arms over his chest. "What exactly did you tell my brother?"

Jounouchi didn't like the way Kaiba emphasized the last two words and he thought for a moment before answering.

"Dammit, Kaiba! You're still making me out as the bad guy here. I didn't lead him on."

"I know that Jounouchi, but none of that matters right now. I have to find him."

"Did you guys fight?"

"Not really. He hasn't spoken to me in days. Just glares past me."

"You know, I know you ain't asking for advice, but if ya did, I'd tell ya that that boy needs a firm hand."

"You're right, I'm not." Kaiba replied sourly. "He hasn't always been this ... difficult you know."

Jounouchi shrugged. "Whatever."

"What do you mean, 'whatever?'"

"Look, Seto. I don't want to get into it again with you. But I hafta tell you, it really hurt that you took his side in this."

"Took his side? You think this has been easy for me? I've missed you, Katsuya, but he's-"

"Yeah, yeah, he's your SPOILED brother."

Kaiba ignored the dig; he knew his actions had hurt the blond, but now he needed Jounouchi's help. "Will you help me look for him?"

"Of course I will, on one condition though, you reconsider your decision."

"I can't believe you're blackmailing me." But there was no malice in the brunet's voice.

"Well?"

"Can we just go looking for him?"

"I'll take that as a yes," Jounouchi grinned humorlessly. "Just let me tell Gramps that I'm leavin'."

Kaiba watched Jounouchi disappear up the stairs that led to the Mutou apartment, and waited impatiently for his return. He was worried about Mokuba, but he was still furious with him too. He thought about the way Mokuba had been acting and realized that maybe the blond had been right, maybe he did need to be stricter with his brother.

Jounouchi came back, his black leather motorcycle jacket already on. "'Kay, where have you looked?" He asked as he passed the brunet and headed for the shop's front door. He turned the sign on the door so that 'CLOSED' faced outward, then turned to Kaiba, who had yet to follow. "So, are you coming or not?"

The brunet swept past him wordlessly and then led Jounouchi to his car, a sleek obsidian M45, and slid into the driver's seat. Jounouchi got into the passenger side, breathing deeply the scent wafting off the supple leather seats.

The engine purred to life and Kaiba eased the car into traffic. "I've contacted all of his classmates, no one has seen him."

Jounouchi nodded. "Well, it's cold, so he'd probably want to be somewhere warm. Let's check out some of the local arcades. Also, he's gotta eat, and he loves pizza, so we should swing by Arturo's." Jounouchi could feel the tension rolling off the brunet's body. "Seto, if he's not using any plastic, then he's gotta come home soon." He put his hand over Kaiba's hand that was resting on the gearshift and squeezed reassuringly. "Either way, we'll get him back, safe and sound."

"Thanks Katsuya," the brunet mumbled appreciatively.

The teens spent hours scouring the local malls and arcades, then expanded their search to include Internet cafes and libraries. As they drove through the streets of Domino, Jounouchi kept watch for the familiar black mop of hair strolling among the crowds of pedestrians.

After hours of futile searching, Kaiba was becoming seriously unhinged. Somewhere around five o'clock he'd stopped speaking to the blond, and instead drove around white-knuckled, with his eyes glued to the road, while Jounouchi suggested places to look. He really felt bad for the brunet, and as he empathized with Kaiba, he became angrier and angrier toward Mokuba. He couldn't believe the young teen would be so selfish and hurtful toward his brother, who'd sacrificed so much for his well-being. Jounouchi sighed and bit back on his comment to that effect; he didn't want to incur Kaiba's wrath, yet at the same time, he hoped that the brunet would finally understand that his brother was taking advantage of him. Jounouchi's stomach growled, protesting the fact that he'd eaten nothing since breakfast. He glanced at the digital clock on the car's radio; it was well past ten.

"Hey Kaiba, I think we should eat and then regroup."

"I'm not hungry." The brunet grumbled.

"At least let's stop for some coffee, I could use a little pick-me-up." Jounouchi suggested. Kaiba drove on silently for a few minutes, and then pulled the car over, double-parking in front of a coffee shop. "Um, I was kind of hoping we could get out of the car, you could use a break from driving."

"I'm not tired," the brunet snapped, despite the darkening rings under his eyes as evidence otherwise.

Jounouchi ran his hands through his hair. He was beginning to regret agreeing to going on this wild goose chase. "Seto, he could be anywhere. What if he bought a plane ticket?"

"He didn't. I have his passport. Security checked with all the airlines, and unless he was disguised and had a forged one, he hasn't gotten on any planes."

"Maybe he took the train somewhere?" Something clicked inside the blond's head then. "Wait, I think I know where he is! Why didn't I think of this earlier!"

"Think of what?" Kaiba managed through gritted teeth.

"Go to the Haneda rail station?"

"At the airport? I told you, he's not going to get on a plane."

"I know that, but I told him once that I used to sleep at the Haneda station when things were a little dicey at home."

Kaiba rubbed his forehead. "Why would you sleep there?"

"It was clean, safe and had enough people there waiting for trains for flights so that security wouldn't bother me. Plus, the bathrooms are really nice." The blond scratched his head nervously hoping that Kaiba wouldn't pry any further. He was relieved when the brunet nosed the car back out into traffic.

"If he's not there," Kaiba said finally, "I'll call the police."

"Good idea."

As they traversed the immaculate train station searching for Mokuba, Kaiba became more and more agitated. "This place is fucking huge." He complained.

"I know, but there's only a few good places to get some shuteye." Jounouchi led on, finally stopping in his tracks when he spied a huddled form with a familiar mane of black hair curled on a bench. He stopped Kaiba in the brunet's tracks, and pointed in the direction of the inert shape. "Bingo," he said softly. "I'm going to go get myself a cup of coffee, kay? Don't leave without me."

Kaiba turned to him, his relief evident on his face, the worry lines and exhaustion, washing away under the blond's gaze. "We won't." He said, walking slowly to his brother. Jounouchi watched as the brunet leaned over the form, laid a hand on his shoulder, and gently shook the young teen awake. The blond turned away then, heading toward a 24-hour counter that he knew was located in the nearby terminal.

He sat at the counter for about twenty minutes, wondering sadly if it would be possible for him and Kaiba to ever be anything other than friends. While he still resented Mokuba, he felt sorry for the teen as well. As he headed back to the train station, he remembered his first crush, Honda, fondly and smiled. That worked out fine, but then again, he'd NEVER let on that he'd been attracted to his friend. He thought seriously about how he felt, knowing that Mokuba was attracted to him. While it was flattering, it did make him uncomfortable, but enough to walk away from the Kaiba brothers?

He thought about how much fun they'd had over the past few months. Hanging out with Mokuba and Seto had been a lot different than being with the Yugi-tachi-less eventful for sure-but it hadn't been any less enjoyable. And then there was added benefit of his mutual attraction to Seto; memories of the kiss they shared on Christmas Eve flashed through his mind. He really wanted to see where that would lead.

By the time he arrived back at the bench he'd left Kaiba and Mokuba on, the two brothers were sitting next to each other, Kaiba's arm wrapped around Mokuba, and Mokuba's head on Kaiba's shoulder. Jounouchi offered the brunet the coffee he was holding, and Mokuba a bottle of orange juice that he produced from his pocket.

"I thought you guys might need some refreshments."

Kaiba took the drinks and handed Mokuba the juice. "Jounouchi, Mokuba has something to say to you." Kaiba said, gazing into his brother's eyes. He turned to the blond. "I'm going to take a walk."

"Okay," Jounouchi shrugged. He sat down on the bench and waited expectantly for the younger teen to say something.

"Jou," Mokuba said quietly. "I'm sorry for what I did to you. It was wrong." His voice crackled with emotion.

"It's-"

"Wait, I'm not done. I didn't run away because I was mad at Seto. I left because I was embarrassed by what I did. When I called you, you made it clear to me that I'd hurt you, but what was worse, when I thought about it, was how badly I'd hurt niisama." The young teen turned to Jounouchi, and the blond could see that he'd been crying. "I was so jealous of him when I saw you guys making out."

"Oh. You saw that."

Mokuba nodded. "And I hated him right at that moment. And I wanted him to know how seeing you and him that way made me feel. That's why I ... why I ... touched you ... and you probably hate me now!" Mokuba blurted and then hunched over on the bench. Jounouchi saw the younger teen's body shudder as he began to sob quietly. The blond stared out at all the passersby for a moment, before sliding over and putting his arm around the teen.

"I don't hate you." He said.

"How could you not?"

"Because I know what it's like."

"You do? Who?"

Jounouchi shook his head. "Who it was doesn't matter now. But I got over it. After a while it didn't even hurt when I saw him with someone else."

"Jou. I want you to see my brother."

"That's not my choice to make Mokie," Jounouchi replied sadly. "He hates the idea of hurting you."

"I'll talk to him." Mokuba said resolutely. "Jounouchi, we can still be friends, can't we?"

Jounouchi gave Mokuba a reassuring hug. "I'll always consider you a friend, kiddo. But again-"

"Seto said he won't press charges if I behave myself!"

"That I did." Jounouchi looked up to see that brunet smiling down at them both. "Are you ready to go home, Mokuba?" The younger Kaiba nodded.

"Shotgun!" Jounouchi called out as he stood up.

"Hey!" Mokuba whined, then glanced up at the blond. "You won fair and square." He said smiling weakly.

The ride back to the Kaiba estate was quiet and uneventful. Jounouchi played out conversations in his head, trying to work one out in which Kaiba agreed to give them a chance. He glanced over at the brunet, wondering what he was thinking. Kaiba, sensing the blond's eyes on him, turned his head and met Jounouchi's gaze.

"We're home," he said.

"I'm going to go straight to bed. You guys, will you talk?" Mokuba asked as he headed for the front door.

"Katsuya, will you stay for a while?"

"Um, sure." They both watched as Mokuba climbed the stairs that led to the second floor and the bedroom wing, then Jounouchi turned to Kaiba. "Do you think he's going to be okay?"

"He's going to be fine. He left because he was ashamed." The brunet said, leading the blond into the parlor.

"Yeah, that's what I got from our conversation. He really felt bad about everything, he wants us to be together."

Kaiba turned and looked at Jounouchi, surprised. "He said that to you?"

Jounouchi nodded. "His exact words were that I should see you. So, can we talk about us now?" When the brunet did not reply, he continued. "Seto, I know you think it's best if we don't go out, but I'm telling you, he'll get over it. He doesn't want you to do this for him-"

"Shut up."

"Huh?"

"I said 'shut up.'" Kaiba crossed the distance between them and before Jounouchi was able to react, he brushed their lips together in a chaste kiss.

"But-"

Kaiba's lips descended on the blond's once again, this time with more insistence. His tongue pushed past the barrier of Jounouchi's lips, teeth and tongue, urgently exploring the moist heat within. Abruptly Kaiba pulled away. "I said 'shut up,' and I meant it."

"No-" Again he kissed Jounouchi to quiet him, this time pressing the blond up against the wall. Jounouchi allowed Seto to dominate the kiss before turning the tables and responding with equal ardor.


End file.
